Cannon has announced the world's first-ever 250-megapixel (MP) camera image sensor that could fit into a retail-quality Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera. The Japanese camera giant announced that the device can pick up the letters on the side of an aircraft flying about 11 miles (18 kilometers) from the shooting location. Its uber-fast tech can snap super high-resolution pictures at 5 frames per second, and is much sharper than 4K resolution video streaming.
The APS-H CMOS sensor is incredibly powerful and fast. Besides containing 250 MPs, it also has a mind-boggling readout speed of 1.25 billion pixels per second.
Another plus of Canon's record-breaking sensor is that its noise performance is outstanding, according to Financial Express. That is despite its sky-high pixel count.
Target markets of Canon's new sensor include crime prevention, surveillance, and high resolution measuring. The size of the unit is 29.2 millimeters (mm) x 20.2 mm.
Canon's new camera sensor also captures super high-resolution video. In fact, it is 30 times crisper than 4K video streaming.
In comparison the APS-H CMOS sensor is a little larger than those in Canon's and Nikon's entry-level DSLRs, and Sony's mirrorless cameras. However, it is much smaller than the full-frame sensors in 35mm units used by professional photographers and photography enthusiasts, according to Engadget.
Canon has a history of unveiling other super-powerful camera sensors. They include the 2007 release of a 50-MP prototype, a 120-MP model in 2010, and a couple 50-MP DSLRs earlier this year.
Canon was founded in 1937 in Tokyo, Japan, and in 1934 designed Japan's first-ever 35mm prototype camera. The company's name originates from a Buddhist deity that is translated "Kannon" in Japanese.